


Alice in the Holy Grail War

by snowynight



Category: Clover no Kuni no Alice | Alice in the Country of Clover, Fate/stay night (Visual Novel)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crossover, F/M, First Time, Oblivious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-23
Updated: 2012-08-24
Packaged: 2017-11-12 17:30:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/493851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowynight/pseuds/snowynight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It isn't enough that everything familiar to her disappears when Alice wakes up. Worse, she finds herself and Gray get involved in the so called Holy Grail War. Can she survive it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Alice thought that nothing the world threw at her would surprise her. After all, she was thrown into this world by a stalker white rabbit, meeting all kind of weird people and facing the so called moving home that Julius and the clocker disappeared over the night. And she slowly got adapted to all these incidents. However, now Alice felt that she was having a dream, a nightmare even. It shouldn't happen like this, Alice thought, although she knew that it was meaningless.  
  
"Alice, stay behind me," Gray said sternly, and he looked so serious that Alice followed his order without thinking. Alice watched him fighting a giant man shooting arrows, blocking the attack with his knives, but not yet had a chance to fight back. It worried Alice a lot.  
  
The giant man laughed maniacally and went on his attack, as if he wouldn't feel exhaustion. There was no sight of reason in his expression. He was either an Outsider, or a Role Holder that she had never seen from this world.  
  
If she was really in the world familiar to her...  
  
It was silly, Alice told herself. She had to be in the world she chose to stay. Only that everything disappeared and she was left with only Gray. When she was still confused, they were attacked. Gray fought along to get them to a safer place, but a fight was unavoidable.  
  
Then a knight with shiny white armour joined the fight and the giant man retreated. When the knight returned to the side of a young man with dark hair, Gray returned to her and asked about her with concern, while keeping an eye on the strangers and the knives still out of their hilt. He must be cautious about the strangers. The young man must have sensed the hostility from Gray as he stayed away and said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Emiya Shirou. This's Saber."  
  
Alice wasn't relaxed. Strangers who helped for free only appeared in children's books, but the manner drilled to her by her sister still caused her to return the greeting and introduced herself. "Do you know where we're?" she asked.  
  
"I'm sorry I can't help. I have no idea why Saber and I appear here. I was planning to ask you this question."  
  
"So they were Outsiders too. Common sense told her that she should be nice to them. However, their presence only reminded her of the strange situation she was in and frustrated her. When she was thinking what to reply, Emiya Shirou said, "Why don't we go together? This place seems dangerous."  
  
Gray said, "It sounds like a good idea," while still watching Saber. Alice was surprised, but Gray as the resident of this world must have shared the affinity to the Outsiders. To add to that, Gray was among one of the few mature people with good manner and common sense. They should be why he accepted it. Therefore they went together.  
  
Only the way, Shirou told Alice that he came from Japan, where Alice only heard from the books. Normally Alice would have been more interested but now she wasn't in the mood to talk after everything that happened. Then Alice found themselves in the Forest of Doors.  
  
"Alice..." The unsettling forest called for her as usual. However today it was a more pleasant sight as it proved that Alice was still in the Country of Clover. Alice was about to open a door when she realized that she wasn't certain where she would go. The Tower of Clock with Julius?  The Tower of Clover? Or the original world she came from? She didn't want to lose her way, so she gave up and told Shirou, "If you open the door, it'll lead you to the place you want most to go..."  
  
"The place I want most to go..." Shirou looked lost and didn't touch the door handle. It seemed that they shared the same uncertainty.  
  
"Then let me open it," Gray said, as he must have sensed their hesitation, "The forest's not safe and we should not dwell here."  
  
"No," Alice said. What if Gray disappeared? Then she would be left alone.  
  
"It'll be all right," Gray said. However, the door refused to open for him. He said, frowning, "The Tower of Clover must have moved away this time, so I can't return to it. Don't worry, we 'll find places to rest."  
  
It didn't comfort Alice. Why was there another time of moving home and she was left out again? Why could Gray speak about it so casually? Alice knew that Gray only wanted to comfort her, but she felt irrationally angry at him. How childish she was. Meanwhile Alice was glad that Gray remained with her. Otherwise she would collapse.  
  
When they left the forest, Alice was speechless as everything she was familiar with disappeared, replaced by buildings built in foreign style. She turned to Gray, who smiled at him and said, "Relax. Let's go."  
Alice nodded. She was still worried, but at least she wasn't alone.  

* * *

  
When they were approaching one of the buildings, Alice saw a long-haired young woman standing by a young man about the same age. Shirou must have known them, because he greeted, "Rin, how come you're here?"  
The young man said with annoyance, "I didn't expect you, idiot."  
Rin said, "I'm not sure. I think it's magic. I can't believe that there's magic that I can't understand." Rin seemed more concerned about her apparent lack of knowledge than the fact that she was in a strange place. What a weird person, Alice thought.  
  
Then Rin asked, "Who're these two people?"  
  
Shirou said, "We met on the way when they were attacked by Berserker."  
  
"And he survived the attack long enough. You must be another Servant."  
  
What were these people saying? Alice wondered. "I'm not a servant."  
  
"I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about this guy over here."  
  
"Gray isn't a servant either." Alice said, starting to get a bit angry. This person was really impolite. Gray might be a subordinate for Nightmare, and it wasn't exactly bad to be a servant, but she didn't like the way the man said it.  
  
"A Servant? How come there'll be another Servant?" Shirou said.  
  
Gray said, "Maybe you should introduce yourselves a bit when you start hurling words at strangers."  
  
"Don't pretend any more. You know what we're talking about," the rude young man said.  
  
Alice was getting more confused and asked, "What're you talking about?"  
  
Shirou said, "Rin and I 're participants in the Holy Grail War. It's a fight to get the Holy Grail that can fulfill any wish, and those working alongside us like Saber and Archer here're called servants."  
  
It sounded ridiculous to Alice. Holy Grail only belonged to the dime novels. But these people seemed to be serious about it and regarded Gray as a rival. It didn't sound good. Would these people attack Gray together?  
  
Rin turned to Alice and said, "You should stay away from this man. The Holy Grail War isn't a game, but a life and death matter. You already know too much."  
  
These people were ridiculous, Alice thought. More worryingly, now she seemed to be deemed as the person who knew too much, whom didn't fare well in the novels she read. Alice stepped toward Gray, who threw an assuring glance and put a hand on her shoulder. Alice felt more relieved.  
  
"Don't frighten Alice," Shirou said, "The most important thing is getting away from here. We should put the Holy Grail War aside for now."  
  
"What about this guy?" Archer asked.  
  
Gray said, "I 'll only fight to protect Alice and myself."  
  
"It's all right now."  
  
"How come you are still so trusting?" Rin asked. Then she continued, "The cease-fire 's in action. Don't attack us, or you'll be in trouble."  
  
Are these people reliable? Alice doubted. At least Gray and her could earn time and didn't need to fight immediately.  It was a good thing.  
  
When they enter this wood building before us, a young woman come out of it and said, "Welcome to the motel."  
  
Rin and Shirou seemed surprised. Then Alice realized that they had not had met the residents in the worlds here, most of whose faces were hard to be distinguished. She said to them, "They're all like that. You can see their faces if you watch carefully."  
"This's a strange place." Rin said, and watched the people in the lobby doubtfully. Finally she followed the staff to a room.  
  
When Alice and Gray remained behind the corridor, Gray asked, "Could you go to my room?"  
  
"Sure." Alice followed Gray into the room, which was decorated in a foreign style. More importantly, there were no chairs and Alice had to kneel down.  
  
"Please be careful, Alice. These Outsiders seem dangerous and I would like you to stay as much as possible by my side."  
  
"I will," Alice hesitated, but finally she asked, "Do you know about this Holy Grail War affair? Don't tell me if it should be a secret though."  
  
"I do know something about this Holy Grail War. I didn't expect that the Outsiders would bring this here."  
  
"Are you a Servant like they said?"  
  
"You can say that. Don't worry. I'll protect you."  
  
"I trust you," Alice said truthfully. She only had Gray to rely on now, and Gray was always reliable.  
  
The atmosphere was tense and Alice changed the topic. "Nightmare must be thrilled without us telling him to work."  
  
Gray sighed, "Nightmare-sama was always worrying."  
  
The mention of Nightmare lightened the atmosphere and finally Alice returned to her room to rest.  
  
When Alice was asleep, she saw a familiar figure and couldn't help but call his name with a smile, "Nightmare!" Even though Nightmare was alway being mysterious in dream and was practically useless outside dreams, but he was after all a comforting familiar face.  
  
Nightmare must have read her heart, because he said, "It's too rude of you, Alice. Can't you feel how great I am?"  
  
Alice stared at him. Nightmare always skipped work, causing trouble for others, and was afraid to go to the hospital despite his ill health like a child. She couldn't see what so-called greatness he had.  
  
"I'm totally great. It's your problem that you can't see it."  
  
"Where?" Then Alice realized that it wasn't time to argue with Nightmare. He should know something about why the world so stranger than usual."  
  
Nightmare said, "It's under the rule."  
  
"What does it mean?"  
  
"Alice," Nightmare looked serious. "If you get involved in a war, will you prefer taking the initiative to join a never-ending war, or will you instead keep away from it, even though you may helplessly witness things you don't want to see?"  
  
"Are there another paths?" Alice asked. Both option sounded too cruel to her.  
  
"There may not be a perfect path, because the rules are getting harsher and..."  
  
"And what?"  
  
"We as Role Holders can only follow rules, but you as an Outsider may be able to find another path."  
  
"Don't speak like a riddler. But the way, are Shirou and Rin Outsiders?"  
  
"You can say so, so stay away from them. Gray will protect you."  
  
"So she was a burden, Alice thought. She didn't want to be a damsel in distress, but there didn't seem to be another option. She hated herself for being weak, yet she couldn't do anything. She felt frustrated even she knew that it was useless, and this made her more frustrated. What a vicious cycle.  
  
"Take a rest, Alice. I'll guard you in your dream," Nightmare said.  
  
"Don't go away.I still want to ask you somethings," Alice said. Nightmare ignored her though and disappeared.  


* * *

<hr>  
The next day Alice told Gray about her dream and Gray looked relieved. "It's good to hear that Nightmare-sama is in good shape."

"Yes, he remains himself." Gray was such a good employee to care about Nightmare. If only he also cared about her... Shut up, Alice told herself.  

"If Nightmare-sama said that, no even without his words, I'll protect you."

"Thank you, Gray. I must be a burden to you."

"Don't say like that. You are strong in the face of such a huge change. I think you are a great young woman."

It was really kind of Gray to comfort and praise her. Alice felt embarrassed and said, "Let's have a meal." The time in this world didn't go in a orderly manner, so it could any time outside, but one had to have their meal.

"All right," Gray said. When they went to the canteen, Alice saw a blonde woman sat by Shirou, who greeted them, "Excuse Saber and I for eating first."

"It's all right," Alice said. She was surprised to learn that Saber was a woman. When she threw a glance at Saber, she noticed the huge amount of empty plates before her. She must be really hungry, as even Ace didn't eat that much.

Thinking about Ace made Alice down because she thought about Julius and her other friends. Were they all right? Did they miss her? Perhaps Julius would pause in his work to miss her. Perhaps. The dour mood lasted when she finished her meal. Shirou and Saber had left by then.  

When Alice and Gray went into the street, Gray suddenly pulled Alice aside. Then Alice heard people screaming in fear and pain. She saw a masked woman attacking people and people were running away from her.

It was just too much for her. Although lives didn't matter much in this world, and her friends wouldn't hesitate to kill, but they killed for a reason. She would stopped even her friends for meaningless killing, not to mention a stranger. Although she knew that it was useless, she couldn't help but shout, "Stop!"

Only then she noticed that a man stood by the woman, smiling. He said something to the woman, then she turned to Alice, only to be stopped by Gray. Alice couldn't do anything but watch and pray for Gray's safety. Then she noticed that the man was approaching her. Alice kicked him by instinct, and then thumped her fist on his nose. The man fell to the ground, shouted in pain, "Kill her, Rider!"

"Your opponent's me," Gray said. With his ferocious attack, Rider could only defend herself. The man climbed up, trying to attack Alice again. Then a familiar figure stood before Alice, saying, "It's wrong to hurt females." It was Shirou.

The man must have realized that he was at disadvantage and escaped, followed by Rider.

"Are you all right?" Gray came to her and asked with concern.

"I'm all right. How about you?"

"Don't worry,"  Then Gray turned to Shirou," Thanks for helping Alice."

"It's nothing," Shirou said.

It seemed that more and more violent Outsiders appeared. What 'd happen next? Alice thought.

 


	2. Chapter 2

After the battle, Alice ran to Gray's side to see if he was hurt. Gray said, "Don't worry. I'm all right."  
"But you looked pale," Alice said.  
Gray said, "I'll be fine."  
Although Alice was still worried, she chose to believe Gray as Gray was too mature to joke about his health. Then he turned to Shirou and said, "Thank you."  
"It's what a hero does," Shirou said seriously. Alice suppressed the impulse to joke about it. She looked at the unsettling sight of the dead on the street and wanted to vomit. It was practically a massacre  
Gray said said with concern, "You don't look good. Let's return to the motel."  
"All right," Alice accepted the suggestion. If she stayed here llonger, she wouldn't be able to control herself any more.  
When they were back at the notel, Alice asked Shirou, "Do you know anything about the killing maniac? Don't tell me if it's supposed to be a secret."  
"It's kind of complicated. Would you mind if I tell you somewhere less public?"  
Gray said, "Let's go to my room. I want to know more too."  
Shirou threw a glance at Gray as if he wanted to say somethings. But he only said, "All right."  
Shirou started to explain when they were in Gray's room. It sound like the plot of an adventure novel, no, a horror novel. The more worrying thing was that they practically lived out the plot. It was serious.  
For the past two centuries, seven sorcerers have gathered and engage in a battle royale known as the Holy Grail War, each gambling his or her own life to obtain the Holy Grail, a legendary chalice capable of granting wishes. The seven sorcerers, known as Masters, are aided by seven beings known as Servants, reincarnations of legendary heroes from all time.  
"Rin and I are both Masters. Saber, Archer, Berserker and Rider you saw today are all Servants."  
"Why do you join the Holy Grail War?"  
"It's an accident, but now my goal is to end all Holy Grail Wars and protexct all the suffering people."  
Alice didn't show her doubt of his words, which sounded too noble to be true. At least it's a good thing to know more about what was happening.  
Shirou continued, "Rin and I now work together. You should be careful of Berserker and Rider. They both kill for joy." This was evident from what Alice saw. It was confusing enough with these four groups of people, Alice hoped that there wouldn't be more troublemakers, ignoring the small voice that said the troublemakers she befriended were not here now.  
Holy Grail... it sounded like a fairy tale... but if it really could fulfill any wishes, Alice could see the appeal. She thought about her elder sister and her friends who were dispersed somewhere. If only...  
Alice shrugged off her thought. She was supposed to be practical enough to resist the temptation of such things. Although the world she was in was weird, she had to hold onto her common sense.  
After the explanation, Shirou left with Saber, saying that they were looking for Rider. Alice asked Gray what he thought about all these, and Gray replied, "I think he speaks the truth. It's troublesome how these Outsiders brought their battles here."  
When Alice and Gray went to the lobby, Alice found that red liquid tainted the wall and people moaned in pain. Rider was here, and she must be connected to all these incident.  
Gray took out his knives to attack Rider, who countered with her weapon. It was not a game, but a bloody fight. Alice knew that she was useless in this so she stayed away. She felt bad watching people's suffering, but she could do nothing.  
Finally Gray gained the upper hand and was about to stab Rider. Then she glowed and disappeared. The red liquid on the wall disappeared too. Gray only seemed relaxed after a period of time and went to Alice, "Are you all right?"  
"I... You're hurt," Alice said, seeing the red stain on Gray's sleeves.  
"It's just a small wound," Gray said.  
Alice said, "Let me help with this." Alice knew that she was selfish enough to put Gray above the other people, but she couldn't control herself.  
Back at Alice's room, Alice bandaged his wound. It seemed deep but Gray didn't make a sound when his wound was being tended to, probably not wanting to worry her. He was such a kind person.  
"We can't stay in the motel anymore. Let's move away from the street so that less people'd be involved," Alice said. Gray nodded, "It's a good idea. Will it be all right if we have to stay out in a camp in the wild?"  
"Don't worry. I used to camp with Ace in the wild."  
"Let's go then."  
When Gray and Alice were leaving they met Rin, who looked worried when being told about the incident. Then she said, "I'm surprised you're not affected. It's possible that you're a sorcerer."  
"What sorceror?"  
"Never mind. If you're moving away, let's stay together too."  
Alice suspected that Rin just wanted to keep an eye on them, but there were no good reasons to say no. Shirou and Saber joined them too.

Fortunately, with the experience of travelling (or more accurately, getting lost) with Ace, Alice was used to setting up a tent and finished the work quickly with Gray's help. She refused Gray's help in cooking though as she didn't want to risk a stomach ache.

Alice looked at the never changing starry sky and felt sad about the things that changed. After the meal, Alice told Gray that she was going for a walk, and Gray suggested going along with her, which Alice agreed. It was after all not a peaceful time.

When walking in the forest, the cool wind blew by and Alice suddenly realized that Gray wasn't smoking any more. She asked Gray about it. He replied, "I know you don't like cigarette smoke, so it'll be impolite to smoke by your side."  
So it was because of her. Alice felt warm yet annoyed at the same time. Don't be so good to me, Alice thought, otherwise I would get angry again. "Smoke then," Alice said. Gray looked surprised. Alice repeated again, saying, "You should have a chance to relax too."

"Thank you," Gray said, taking a cigarette out, lighted it, and smoke it in smooth actions. Gray looked handsome when smoking. No, he was handsome all the time.

After a while Alice, said, "Sorry for troubling you." Alice knew that she was only a burden in battle, not to mention other things.  
Gray tapped his cigarette out. "You never cause any trouble to me."

"But I'm an unpleasant child. It's normal for you to feel annoyed."

"Alice, you're a good person and face the dramatic changes in your life with courage. It's my pleasure that you want to rely on me."  
Alice didn't recalled that she was being a good person. Mostly she had been whining to Gray, counting on Gray to be gentle enough to tolerate her.  
"Gray, you're really kind."  
Gray smiled bitterly. "Only you'll think like that. Don't telll any one else." You'll only be laughed at and told some not very good things"  
This remided Alice that Gray had mentioned to her about his connection to the Holy Grail War. "Would you mind telling me about your connection to the Holy Grail War? Just please don't tell me if it's a secret though."  
"It happened during the time I was away from Nightmare-sama. One really can't get away from the past."  
Alice felt the same. Although she chose to give up her original world and responsibility, she would never be able to cut off her link to it. It got Alice curious about what Gray was like in the past."  
"What were you like then?"  
"Useless. Greedy. Frivolous. I'm ashamed about my past self."  
"It's hard to imagine you like that."  
"People settle down after going wild in their youth."  
"Will other Role Holders settle down too?"  
"It's hard to imagine the Mad Hatter and the Queen to settle down. I hope that Nightmare-sama will soon settle down."  
"It's hard to imagine that," Alice said. Then she remembered that they were not here now and her mood was down.  
Gray must have noticed it , because he put a hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't mention them."  
"No, it's all right. I don't to talk like they never existed. They're my friends and I don't want to forget them."  
"They would be happy if they knew about it."  
"I hope so," Probably they missed her too. Probably. If they were here with her, she would be certain about that. However, now she could only hesitate. At least Gray was here. She was already without Julius, and she didn't want to imagine if Gray wasn't here too.  
"It's late and we should return."  
"All right," Alice said.  
When they were back, Shirou said, "I'm worried about both of you. It's great to see you back."  
"Thank you," Alice still wasn't used to Shirou's concern about her.  
Archer said, "You really're an odd pair. A Servant without Master, won't you feel tired staying with someone not your Master?"  
Gray didn't answer him, and Archer said, "You can do pretty much as you wish, even if you'll take a toll on you. Th's good for me as it makes you easy to deal with."  
"What do you mean?"  
Shirou said, "A Servant needs to replenish his energy from his Master, so it's rare for one to go without his Master."  
"What'll happen then?" Alice asked. It sounded like a serious matter.  
"A Seveant needed energy to fight and remain here, so if one keeps not being able to get energy from his master, he'll disappear forever."  
What? Alice was filled with fear. Would Gray disappear?  
"Please don't worry about me, Alice," Gray said.  
If failed to comfort Alice. She wanted Gray to live, at all price. She knew that it was selfish, but she only wanted Gray to live.  


* * *

  


In Alice's dream, Alice met Nightmare and asked, "What do you know about the Holy Grail War? Is Gray really a Servant? Will he disappear?"  
"The world in under unchangable rules. The participants of the Holy Grail War were just following Rules," Nightmare said.  
"What about Gray?"  
"Like all Role Holders, he's bounded by the rule."  
"So he really is a Servant. s there way to prevent him from disappearing?"  
"Don't worry, Alice. We as Role Holders can be replaced at any time."  
"I don't care about the Roles. All of you are irreplacable."  
It was so cruel that Alice neither wanted nor cared to understand it.  
"Only you'll think like this."  
"It's common sense. Will Gray disappear?"  
"According to the rules of tHe Holy Grail War, a Servant will disappear without his Master giving energy to him, so they're telling the truth as what know."  
"How can I prevent that?"  
"You're an Outsider free from the rules, so please don't get involved. Gray must think the same thing too."  
"Amn't I not a resident of this world now?"  
"You're imporTant to us, and we don't want you to get hurt."  
"It's not the time for that. If Gray's life's at risk, please tell me what I can do to help."  
Nightmare only said, "I'm Nightmare. My role's to to confuse, not to clarify the answer."  
Don't be so vague at such an important time, Alice thought. Then her dream faded.  
Nightmare once again played the trick of disappeared when things were important. So unreliable, Alice thought. Well, she would need to ask Gray instead.  
WAlice found Gray, she said, "Nightmare told me that you might disappear and I'm worried. What can I do to help you?"  
"Don't worry. I can be replaced."  
"Don't say that. I don't want you to disappear." People in this world don't value their lives much, but Alice would never accept that. She was sad about Julius, but they still had chance to meet again. Gray was also here to support her. If Gray disappeared...  
Alice's eyes felt warm. She resisted the urge to cry. It was Gray to be at great risk, not her and she couldn't be so weak.  
Then Alice was thrown into a hug. Pressed against Gray's chest, she caught his clothes in her hands tight, as if she could then keep him with her. Her tears dropped. She didn't want to be so weak, but she couldn't resist the urge to hope that the hug never ended.

When Gray finally released her, he wiped away her tears gently and said, "Please don't cry for me."

Alice felt ashamed about being weak. It was not the time to cry for comfort. If Nightmare and Gray wouldn't tell her about the way to save Gray, she would just have to ask Shirou and Rin. Alice refused to think if it didn't work either. She didn't want to let these rules to robbed her of people important to her.

When Alice made the decision, she pulled Shirou aside when they were alone and asked about how a Servant can replenish energy.

"There're two ways, an exchange of blood or a transfer of magical circuit."  
"What's a magical circuit?"  
"It only exists inside a sorceror and allows him to use sorcery. But Alice, why do you want to know? You're not a Master after all."

"Can anyone be a Master?"

"No. It has to be a sorceror who signs a pact with the Servant."

So Alice needed to locate Gray's Master. Would that be Nightmare? Would someone who vomitted blood all the time be useful? When she asked Gray, Gray said, "No, Nightmare-sama isn't my Master in this way. Role Holders won't turn into Masters usually."  
"So can I be your Master as an Outsider?"

"Nightmare-sama doesn't want to to get involved and neither do I. The Holy Grail War's cruel and we don't want you to get hurt."

"So what can I do to be my Master?"

"Alice..."

"Gray, if there're any methods I can try to keep you from disappearing, please tell me."

"Don't worry. I won't disappeear so easily."

Alice wasn't satisfied with this answer but Gray didn't seem to want to continue the conversation. However, Alice already got some idea and it wasn't enough to deter her. She'd try everything she could to save Gray.

Because Gray was the most important person to her.


End file.
